November 9, 2025

South Korea's Innospace Plans Orbital Launch From Brazil on Nov. 22 (Source: Korea Times)
The HANBIT-Nano, Korea’s first commercial space launch vehicle developed by Innospace, will launch at 3 p.m. on Nov. 22 in Brazil (local time), the company said Friday. The launch date was set after the Korea AeroSpace Administration consulted with the Brazilian Air Force on weather conditions, integration procedures between the launch vehicle and satellite, launch safety controls and the local operation schedule. Having secured contracts with five clients from Brazil, India and Korea, the HANBIT-Nano will carry eight payloads and one commemorative branded payload. (11/7)

Firefly Aerospace Closes Acquisition of SciTec (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Aerospace (Nasdaq: FLY), a market leading space and defense technology company, today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of SciTec, Inc., a leader in advanced national security technologies. The purchase price consisted of a combination of cash and Firefly common stock paid to SciTec owners for the acquisition. (11/5)

UK's Filtronic Secures Order for Satellite Payload Assemblies (Source: Filtronic)
Filtronic has secured a contract, with a leading European aerospace manufacturer, to supply RF assemblies for integration into a major Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation  program. The contract, valued in excess of €7 million, represents a significant commitment to be delivered over the next three years. (11/6)

Isaacman Attends Alabama Conservative Gathering, Praising Charlie Kirk (Source: YellowHammer)
A surprise guest at Turning Point USA’s campus tour in Neville Arena at Auburn University connected the night’s tribute to the late Charlie Kirk to Alabama’s leading role in America’s space future. Benny Johnson said he had the privilege to introduce a special guest: President Trump’s “newly, newly named selection” for NASA Administrator, Jared Isaacman.

Said Isaacman: "I didn’t grow up very religious at all — my mother’s family, we celebrate Christmas. My father’s family, we celebrated Hanukkah. But I can tell you, having gone to space twice and looking back on our planet, looking at the stars around us, it is very hard not to be spiritual. But it was only recently, in the last couple weeks that I was inspired for the first time in a very long time to pick up the Bible, and I’ll tell you why. It’s because of Charlie [Kirk]." (11/6)

ispace Selected for Japan’s Space Strategy Fund Project (Source: ispace)
ispace, a global lunar exploration company, has been selected by Japan’s Space Strategy Fund for a project titled “Establishing Surveying and Ground Investigation Technologies to Realize Lunar Base Construction”. For the project, ispace will contribute to its success based on its experience in developing lunar landers and rovers, ground-based validation activities, and operational experience in space. (11/4)

13 Best Space Museums in the U.S. (Source: Travel + Leisure)
Space tourism may be inching closer, but until off-planet travel is within reach for everyone, the best way to dive into all things intergalactic is to visit a space museum. In addition to being a fun way to spend an afternoon, these institutions can also help inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. From coast to coast, here are the best space museums in the United States. (11/8)

Malta Officially Joins European Space Policy Institute (Source: Times of Malta)
At the historic Vienna Rathaus, Malta was officially welcomed, through Xjenza Malta, as a new member of the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), marking a new chapter in the country’s growing participation in European and international space governance. (11/9)

Ohio’s Bold Role in America’s Next Frontier Prominently Features NASA Glenn (Source: Cleveland.com)
Ohio has always held a deep respect for service — service to our country, to our communities, and to the pursuit of progress. When called upon, Ohioans step up, whether to defend our nation or to dream and build the inventions that expand our horizons.

This spirit is not just part of our history; it defines who we are today. Right now, in Northeast Ohio, we have an extraordinary example of this spirit in action at NASA Glenn Research Center. From propulsion systems that will power deep-space missions, to cutting-edge work in hypersonics, advanced materials, electric aircraft propulsion, and in-space power and energy systems, NASA Glenn is pioneering technologies you won’t find anywhere else. These teams are building the engines, energy systems, and scientific breakthroughs that will carry American astronauts farther and make space exploration more sustainable for future generations. (11/9)

China Launches Lijian-1 Y9 Rocket (Sources: Xinhua, SpaceNews)
China on Sunday launched the Lijian-1 Y9 rocket with two technical experiment satellites onboard. The rocket blasted off from the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone near the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. China has now surpassed its previous record for orbital launch attempts in a calendar year. (11/9)

Office of Space Commerce Faces an Uncertain Future Amid Budget Cuts and New Oversight (Source: Space.com)
The Office of Space Commerce, an office of about 50 people, exists within the Department of Commerce's NOAA. To paraphrase its mission statement, its chief purpose is to enable a robust U.S. commercial interest in outer space. OSC has three main focus areas. First, it is the office responsible for licensing and monitoring how private U.S. companies collect and distribute orbit-based images of Earth. A second primary job of OSC is space advocacy. OSC works with the other U.S. government agencies that also have jurisdiction over commercial use of outer space to make the regulatory environment easier.

The OSC also coordinates commercial satellites' flight paths in near-Earth space, which is its third and largest function. The Department of Defense keeps track of thousands of objects in outer space and issues alerts when the probability of a collision gets high. In 2018, President Donald Trump issued Space Policy Directive-3, which included tasking OSC to take this role over for nongovernment satellites. Deep in the text of Trump's Aug. 13 executive order called Enabling Competition in the Commercial Space Industry, there's a directive to elevate OSC to report directly to the office of the secretary of commerce.

While all of this sounds good for promoting space as a place for commercial activity, OSC has been under stress in 2025. In February, DOGE targeted NOAA for cuts, including firing eight people from OSC. Because about half of the people working in OSC are contractors, this represented a 30% reduction of force. In March, Trump's presidential budget request for the 2026 fiscal year proposed a cut of 85% of the $65 million annual budget of OSC. And on Sep. 9 the Department of Commerce requested a 40% clawback to OSC's fiscal year 2025 budget. (11/9)

OHB Plans to Push Back on the Airbus-Thales-Leonardo Merger (Source: Payload)
Marco Fuchs, CEO of the German A&D prime OHB, plans to participate in the antitrust process against the proposed merger between Airbus, Thales, and Leonardo—to make a case that the merger would be bad for the European space industry. “We will be vocal about our view that we think that this is limiting competition,” Fuchs said in an interview with Payload yesterday. “We are concerned, and we will participate in the antitrust process against it.” (11/7)

Blue Origin Seeks FAA Exemption for Additional ESCAPADE Launch Attempts (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin says it is working with the government to secure additional launch opportunities for the upcoming New Glenn launch of a NASA Mars mission, given new restrictions placed on commercial launches by the FAA. (11/8)

Probing Planetary Surface Compositions in 3D (Source: Springer Nature)
We designed and built a breakthrough instrument called INSPECT3R, which is a device that can see inside planetary surfaces in 3D with no need to drill or dig. Using high-energy neutrons as powerful probes and advanced particle imaging techniques, INSPECT3R reveals what lies on and beneath the surface, layer by layer, identifying elements and even buried objects with stunning precision. In recent tests using lunar soil simulants, the system measured and distinguished different minerals placed side by side, layered structures, and imaged a buried meteorite in full 3D. (11/4)

Euclid Has 8 Extra Years of Fuel. A Scientist Has A Brilliant Plan To Use It (Source: Universe Today)
Currently calculations give Euclid an extended life of about 8 years, thanks to the additional fuel the craft has on board. That would more than double the 6-year original mission, which is already well underway. With that additional time, Dr. Luigi Bedin suggests Euclid do something completely outlandish - do the exact same thing that it did for the first six-year mission.

Getting a second data point would allow us to see what moved in those six years - an astronomical value called “proper motion”. This is a calculation of how closer objects (such as stars in the Milky Way) move against a background of further objects (like distant galaxies) over time. (11/8)

Blue Origin Will ‘Move Heaven and Earth’ to Help NASA Reach the Moon Faster, CEO Says (Source: Ars Technica)
This year it has become increasingly apparent that, should NASA stick to its present plans for the Artemis III lunar landing mission, China is on course to beat the United States back to the Moon with humans. In recognition of this, about three weeks ago, NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy said the space agency was reopening the competition for a human lander.

“We just want to help the US get to the Moon,” said Dave Limp, CEO of the space company founded by Jeff Bezos. “If NASA wants to go quicker, we would move heaven and Earth, pun intended, to try to get to the Moon sooner. And I think we have some good ideas.” Blue Origin began work on a faster architecture, involving multiple versions of its Mk. 1 cargo lander as well as a modified version of this vehicle tentatively called Mk 1.5. Limp said that after Duffy asked for revised proposals, Blue Origin responded almost immediately. (11/8)

First Private Space Telescope Could Transform Astronomical Research (Source: Futura)
The British-built Mauve telescope is preparing for launch before the end of the year—a bold, privately funded mission designed to seek out exoplanets, especially those that might harbor life. Developed in just three years, Mauve’s exact price tag remains undisclosed, but insiders describe it as remarkably low-cost. Soon, it will embark on its mission to identify potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system.

As the first satellite launched by the UK-based company Blue Skies Space, Mauve is a compact spacecraft scheduled to lift off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket as early as November. Once in orbit—about 500 kilometers above Earth—it will begin a three-year research mission. Though weighing only 18.6 kilograms and equipped with a modest 13-centimeter mirror, Mauve marks a historic milestone: it’s the first space telescope designed entirely by a private company. (11/8)

GHGSat Continues to Expand its Methane-Monitoring Constellation (Source: Space News)
GHGSat announced plans to launch two additional satellites, expanding its methane and greenhouse gas-monitoring constellation from 12 to 14. This expansion is part of the company's larger strategy to nearly double its fleet by 2026, which will enable daily monitoring of industrial sites worldwide. (11/7)

Space is Key to the Army’s Long March to a Connected Force (Source: Space News)
For decades, the U.S. Army has been chasing the same mirage: a fully connected battlefield where every soldier, vehicle and sensor shares data seamlessly. Each time, the promise has been the same — a “data-centric” force that can see, decide and act faster than any adversary. Each time, the results have been disappointment, delay and billions of dollars down the drain. Satellite networks are key to the Army's plans because they can provide the resilient, persistent connectivity for seamless communication and data sharing across all warfighting domains (land, air, sea, space, and cyberspace). Past efforts failed due to relying on fragile, monolithic terrestrial systems. (11/7)

MDA/Rocket Lab’s 17-Satellite Globalstar Contract Delayed Again, to Mid-2026; Globalstar to Impose Liquidated Damages (Source: Space Intel Report)
The contracting team of MDA Space and Rocket Lab USA has encountered repeated delays in the construction of 17 mobile communications satellites for Globalstar and will be liable for liquidated damages under the contract, Globalstar said. The satellites were originally scheduled for launch on two SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets in 2025. Globalstar now expects neither to occur before sometime in 2026, with the first by mid-year. (11/7)

JWST Makes 1st-Ever Detection of Complex Organic Molecules Around Star Beyond Our Galaxy (Source: Space.com)
Frozen complex organic molecules have been discovered for the first time around a young protostar in a galaxy other than our own. Astronomers used JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to detect myriad complex organic molecules (COMs) in ice that encase grains of dust around the massive protostar ST6 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, which is a neighboring dwarf galaxy about 163,000 light years away. (11/7)

With Transporter-15, Exolaunch is Planning its Biggest Mission Yet (Source: Payload)
SpaceX is aiming to launch its 15th Transporter rideshare mission on Tuesday—which means German launch integrator Exolaunch is working behind the scenes to make sure dozens of satellites are integrated and ready to deploy on orbit without a hitch. The flight will be Exolaunch’s busiest rideshare mission to date. Exolaunch is managing 58 satellites from 30+ customers across 16 countries—but that’s nothing compared to what they have in store. (11/7)

SWISSto12 Advances Mission Control Center Capabilities for HummingSat Launches (Source: Spacewatch Global)
SWISSto12 has announced details of new capabilities regarding its Command-and-Control Center in Georgia, USA. The facility provides the technical infrastructure, software, and operational processes necessary for managing launch, orbit raising, and in-orbit testing for SWISSto12’s geostationary satellite, HummingSat, before customer handover. Going forward, the platform will form the operational backbone for HummingSat missions as they progress toward launch. (11/7)